Heritage Northland Inc will host a trip to visit the three Northern Wars battle sites of Te Ahuahu, Puketutu and Ohaeawai On Saturday 3 November.

The trip will start from the Te Waimate Mission Grounds at 10 amwhere Morning Tea will be served from the Sunday School Hall from 9.30am. A briefing will be given outlining the trip and the events of the Northern Wars, and the bus will then depart for Te Ahuahu and Puketutu and finally the Ohaeawai Pa site. On-board and site commentary will be provided by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff.

A ‘picnic style’ lunch will then be served back at Te Waimate Mission around 12.30pm.

Following lunch break, the Te Waimate Mission Building and grounds will be open for people to explore including the adjacent St John the Baptist Church and graveyard. Afternoon tea will be available from 2.45pm.

The cost is $45 per person and includes transport, morning/afternoon teas and lunch. Parking is available at Te Waimate Mission grounds situated at 344 Te Ahu Ahu Road, Waimate North. Toilet facilities are available in the grounds of Te Waimate Mission site.

Participants will visit privately owned properties, and with parking limited, no individual transport will be allowed.

Artist Janet de Wagt in action at the first community suffrage art workshop held in Auckland last month. (Source HNZ Media Release)

October 26

MEDIA RELEASE

Celebrate Suffrage 125 at Clendon House

A community art workshop commemorating 125 years of women’s suffrage will take place at Clendon House in Rawene on November 24 (9.30am-4pm).

The art workshop will be led by Dunedin artist Janet de Wagt, and is funded by a Creative New Zealand Grant, with support from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

Participants will create a commemorative banner that will be joined with other banners made in other workshops at key heritage locations around the country over the next few months.

The banners from the art workshops will be amalgamated into one final artwork which will be launched at Old Government Buildings in Wellington in April next year.

“The banners are a reference to the three Parliamentary petitions that were circulated around the country and which ultimately resulted in women finally being granted the right to vote on 19 September 1893,” says Lindsay Charman, who is the Senior Visitor Host for Clendon House, which is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

“The third petition was described by suffragist Kate Sheppard as a “monster petition” made up of petition sheets circulated throughout New Zealand, and returned to Christchurch where Sheppard pasted each sheet end on end and rolled it around a section of a broom handle.”

The ‘Monster Petition’ survives, and contains 25,519 signatures – including some men. The roll was presented to Parliament with great drama. Sir John Hall, Member of Parliament and suffrage supporter, brought it into the House and unrolled it down the central aisle of the debating chamber until it hit the end wall with a thud.

“The banners will be an artistic representation of that extraordinary social movement that ultimately saw New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote,” he says.

Clendon House is a fitting venue for the workshops according to Lindsay. Jane Clendon – the daughter of Dennis Cochrane and his wife Takotowi from the Hokianga – was a woman of considerable strength.

“She also had significant blood lines and mana – though she found herself almost bankrupt with a large family to provide for after the death of her husband in 1872. Many people facing such pressure would have gone under, but Jane – who was only 34 years old with eight children under 17 – rode to Auckland on horseback and managed to skilfully negotiate terms of repayment with her creditors,” he says.

“The story of how Jane managed to clear her debts, educate her children in both the Pakeha and Maori worlds while keeping the family home is inspiring. She was a young mother who took charge of her life in a crisis.”

Artistic ability is not necessary for people to take part in the workshops – and Janet de Wagt is looking forward to working with a range of different ideas and skills. All art materials are provided for at the workshop.

“Participants in the banner-making will be able to use painting, printing, stamping, drawing and weaving – whatever they prefer – to create the banners,” says Lindsay.

“Participation is the important thing – and celebrating a movement that changed New Zealand and the world forever.”

Lindis Capper-Starr of the Kerikeri Mission Station and James Robinson compare a Mason and Cash mixing bowl from today with remnants of a similar mixing bowl from over a hundred years ago.

October 9

MEDIA RELEASE

Bowl remnants found in the mix

An archaeological excavation as part of earthworks associated with a new sprinkler system for Pompallier Mission has uncovered evidence of some delicious baking.

Remnants of a ceramic mixing bowl, understood to be manufactured in the 1800s by British ceramic firm Mason – the fore runner of today’s Mason and Cash – were discovered as part of the recent excavation that took place adjacent to Russell’s Pompallier Mission.

The historic property is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

“The excavation was carried out as part of the conditions of an archaeological authority which was granted for earthworks associated with the new sprinkler,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Archaeologist, James Robinson.

“This area was identified as potentially having archaeological features present, and the authority process enabled it to be excavated carefully as part of earthworks for the sprinkler system. The bowl, bottles and other items were found in a rubbish dump that was part of the excavation area.”

“Dating and analysing the function of these items can provide us with good evidence of what was going on at this site many years ago.”

Because the property has been in continuous use, it is not completely clear what period the bowl dates from, though initial analysis suggests the bowl could date back to the 1800s. It’s likely that the bowl broke – perhaps while the owner was whipping up a batch of pikelets, or a similar delicacy – and the bits duly chucked into the rubbish heap.

The mixing bowls are not exactly rare – though they have a special connection to another historic property that Heritage New Zealand cares for according to James.

“Mason Cash and Co replaced the Mason brand in 1901, and Mason and Cash is still going strong. Mixing bowls almost identical to the one that was discarded in Russell all those years ago, are on sale at the Stone Store along with a range of other authentic trade goods from the 19thCentury,” he says.

“There’s a nice continuity there.”

Manager of the Stone Store, Liz Bigwood, agrees.

“We love selling products with brands that have endured for years, and Mason and Cash is definitely one of those,” she says.

“Mason and Cash still make the classic cane-coloured mixing bowl, as well as new designs that are more contemporary and funky. The brand is still very much alive – even after over two centuries.”

Installation of Pompallier Mission’s sprinkler system is expected to be completed by summer.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is seeking feedback on its draft conservation plan for the Mangungu Mission House at Horeke.

July 13

MEDIA RELEASE

Have your say on Mangungu Mission….

People can now have their say on the future care of one of Northland’s most important historic places.

A conservation plan for Mangungu Mission – the site of the Wesleyan Mission that was established in 1828, and which later became the site of the largest signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the place where honey bees were first introduced into New Zealand – is now available for people to give feedback.

The process will be overseen by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga which manages the Category 1 historic place, and will include public meetings at Kohukohu, Rawene and Horeke.

“The purpose of the plan is to provide guidance on the care and management of the Mission House, and to protect and conserve its cultural heritage significance for future generations,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Property Lead Hokianga Properties, Alex Bell.

“Thanks to the success of the new cycleway, Mangungu Mission is no longer the quiet backwater it may have been five years ago. It’s increasingly becoming a tourism destination in its own right, and is also one of Northland’s Landmarks Whenua Tohunga.

“It’s important that we care for and maintain this very important building well, and that means getting the conservation plan right – because ultimately the plan will guide us on things like maintenance and restoration as well as interpretation, and even promotion of Mangungu Mission.”

Hokianga iwi and hapu have a close connection to Mangungu Mission, and the original signing of the Treaty in the Hokianga on February 12 1840 is commemorated by the community every year. The Mangungu signing of 1840 drew about 3000 people on the day, with about 70 rangatira signing Te Tiriti after a period of rigorous debate.

“Many people feel a strong connection to Mangungu for its Tiriti and mission history, and we would like to hear from anybody who has an interest in this place to find out their stories and associations, and why the place is important to them,” says Alex.

“The information we collect during this process will help inform the conservation plan.”

The primary focus of the plan is the mission house itself, which has had a fascinating history. Originally constructed in 1839, it is one of this country’s oldest buildings.

“Amazingly, the house was shipped down to Onehunga in Auckland where it was used as a parsonage and home. It was then trucked back up to Mangungu where it was reassembled on the original site of the mission in 1972,” says Alex.

“Even though it has been shifted, the house has important heritage fabric and values, reflecting the story of early contact between Maori and Europeans, the introduction of Christianity and, of course, Te Tiriti.”

Once consultation has been completed, comments received will be evaluated and written into the plan as appropriate. The plan will then be presented to the Heritage New Zealand Board and Maori Heritage Council for approval prior to being adopted and implemented.

As well as the public meetings, people are also able to lodge written comments about the plan to be received by Heritage New Zealand no later than (4.00pm) August 24, 2018.

“Everyone who has an interest in Mangungu Mission is invited to the meetings or to make a submission,” says Alex.

“Mangungu is important to a lot of people, and we want to ensure the Conservation Plan is the best it can be.”

The pā at Ōhaeawai today. The pā also incorporates the urupā, in the middle of which stands Te Whare Karakia o Mikaere [St Michael’s Church].

One of the most important battle sites of the Northern Wars has been recognised by the country’s lead heritage agency as an area sacred to Māori.

Te Pakanga o Ohaeawai has been added to the New Zealand Heritage List as a Wāhi Tapu Area by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

Under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act, a Wāhi Tapu is defined as a place sacred to Maori in the traditional, spiritual, religious, ritual or mythological sense.

“Te Pakanga o Ōhaeawai is a hillside near Ngāwhā where a faction of Ngāpuhi under Te Ruki [The Duke] Kawiti successfully defended the pā of Pene Taui, of Ngāti Rangi, against British forces led by Lieutenant Colonel Despard in June-July 1845,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northern Pouārahi, Atareiria Heihei.

“The fortifications were ground-breaking in every way, and became one of the prototypes for gunfighter warfare in later engagements.”

“The pā at Ōhaeawai is tapu to Ngāti Rangi as a place of battle and bloodshed. It also incorporates the urupā, in the middle of which stands Te Whare Karakia o Mikaere [St Michael’s Church].”

It is also the original site for the placename “Ōhaeawai”, although the name was exported to the nascent township 4km down the road in the 1870s.

The peaceful vista of today is very different from the scene of carnage that occurred on July 1, 1845 during the third major engagement of the Northern Wars.

“On June 25 about 600 troops from the 58thand 99thRegiments, the Royal Marines and militia – as well as approximately 300 warriors of Tāmati Wāka Nene – besieged about 100 men in Pene Taui’s pā at Ōhaeawai,” says Atareiria.

“Prior to the attack, Pene Taui had insisted that the battle take place at his pā, which Kawiti had agreed to. Kawiti subsequently fortified the pā for this purpose.”

Kawiti and Taui did an exceptional job. The pā had two palisades – including a strong inner fence made of puriri logs set almost two metres into the ground with five metres of log standing above ground.

A curtain of flax matting hung on the exterior of the pā quenching musket ball fire, concealing the interior from the British and robbing them of such basic information as to whether or not their shelling was effective.

In addition, a trench located between the two palisades encircling the pā, provided protection for warriors reloading their muskets, who were then able to step up onto platforms that elevated them to ground level. From here they were able to fire their muskets almost completely concealed from the enemy.

If that wasn’t enough, some trenches extended beyond the shape of the pā to form bastions from which fighters could then shoot at attackers side-on as they attacked the pā. The coup de grace, however, was a series of rua [pits] that were underground compartments roofed with beams and timber – possibly the first example of an anti-artillery bunker.

The rua stood the defenders in good stead.

“The British established a four-gun battery on the nearby hill of Puketapu, and opened fire on June 25, continuing until it was dark,” says Atareiria.

“By the end of the day, however, they had done very little damage. The bombardment was to continue, equally ineffectually, for a further two days.”

Despite the bombardment – and the fact that they were outnumbered almost 10 to one – the defenders weren’t exactly throwing in the towel.

“On July 1 a raiding party from the pā successfully overpowered Tāmati Wāka Nene’s camp and took the Union Jack that had been flying there,” says Atareiria.

“The Union Jack was then flown within the defenders’ pā in full view of the British – upside down and at half mast below a Kākahu (Māori cloak). Despard was apoplectic with rage at the insult.”

Goaded into action, he ordered the storming of the pā. Although Despard’s offices and allies warned against attacking the heavily defended pā – and Wāka Nene, who had since recaptured his territory from the defenders, refused to participate in the attack – Despard would not be dissuaded.

“The disastrous assault went ahead,” says Atareiria.

“The solid palisades of the inner fence had withstood the artillery attack and remained intact, preventing the British from entering the pā. Meanwhile, the firing trenches proved devastatingly effective against the attackers. Within seven minutes of the attack beginning, over 47 of the attackers lay dead with about 70 more injured. The attack was an unmitigated disaster.”

Although more ammunition was brought in, and the British continued shelling for a few more days, the result had been a foregone conclusion. By 8 July, the pā was found to have been abandoned and the defenders had disappeared into the night.

“Although he tried to put a positive spin on the result, Despard had achieved nothing at enormous cost,” says Atareiria.

“He was to experience similar frustration at Ruapekapeka, where he would be confronted once again by an almost impregnable pā.”

Today, remnants of Pene Taui’s pā can still be seen in some of the undulations in the ground, though the area is predominantly an urupā with Te Whare Karakia o Mikaere at its heart.

“In 1871, Heta Te Haara, who had succeeded Pene Taui as the local rangatira after his death, wrote to the government for permission to remove the remains of the troops from the original burial site to where they currently lie inside the St Michael’s churchyard,” says Atareiria.

“On July 1 1872 – 27 years to the day of the battle itself – the troops were honoured by Māori in a service that was attended by a Government official representing the Under Secretary of the then Native Department, who reported on ‘the present good feeling, singleness of purpose, and perfect unanimity which very apparently existed between the Ngapuhi and their Pakeha neighbours’.”

The grandson of Heta Te Haara, kaumātua Ben Te Haara, remembers his grandfather talking about the battleground. His recollections were a vital part of the research as he was able to point out many features from information passed down to him – including the location of a line of pūriri trees that the British used to range their guns.

“The listing formally identifies the tapu nature of this place to Ngāti Rangi, while also highlighting the importance of this place to all New Zealanders.”

Box Story:

A masterpiece of military engineering

One of the observers of the battle of Ōhaeawai was missionary Henry Williams. His wife, Marianne Williams, commented on the ingenuity of the construction of the war pā in one of her writings:

“It is quite astonishing how they seem to defy the British in their fortifications. They have double fences, ditches, and loop holes, their houses sunk underground; and as the great guns of the British are fired through their pa with so little loss to the rebels, it is supposed that they have large holes, in which they secure themselves. The fence around the pa is covered between every paling with loose bunches of flax, against which the bullets fall and drop; in the night they repair every hole made by the guns.”

A research project to develop a heritage inventory of Northland’s World War II military places has achieved a crucial milestone.

Seventeen military camp sites associated with the defence of the Bay of Islands have been identified from official records and other sources, and information about them recorded. The work completes the initial phase of the inventory.

For Jack Kemp and Dr Bill Guthrie, volunteer researchers with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the completion of the Bay of Islands component is an important first step.

“The Bay of Islands was an important part of what became Fortress Northland, and a central part of New Zealand’s defence strategy,” says Jack Kemp.

“Major General Harold Barrowclough, who headed divisional headquarters in Whangarei, had identified the Bay of Islands as the most likely place for the Japanese to land a main attack force, with simultaneous additional attacks at Whangaroa and Doubtless Bay a distinct possibility.”

Barrowclough had grimly predicted that – based on the defence that was in place in early 1942 – if the Japanese attacked the Whangaroa and Bay of Islands simultaneously at 7am, they would take both areas by lunchtime, and face only limited resistance on their road to Auckland. (more…)

A heritage site dating back hundreds of years has captured the imagination of students from Whangarei Boys High School.

Mair’s Landing / Tawatawhiti, just north of Whangarei’s CBD, contains a number of prehistoric and historic features – including a remnant Maori stone field garden, the remains of a coal chute associated with the Whau Valley Coal mine horse drawn tramway and Mair’s Landing itself – a stone wharf dating back to 1841. Interest in the extensive heritage site was sparked by a public talk given by Heritage New Zealand’s Northland staff as part of last year’s New Zealand Archaeology Week.

“I was told of the site by a friend who attended the talk, and so I got in contact with Bill Edwards of Heritage New Zealand in Kerikeri,” says Whangarei Boys High School Deputy Principal, Allister Gilbert.

“He was pleased that a school was interested in the history of the place, and supplied documents recording the archaeology of the Whangarei area and harbour as background material for the students. Heritage New Zealand people have been fantastic to work with.”

Bill, and his colleague Northland Archaeologist James Robinson, took 22 of the school’s staff members on a walking tour of the site – and the ideas for using the site as an outdoor learning environment grew from there. Mair’s Landing / Tawatawhiti was recently listed as a Historic Area, and research for the listing report has helped raise understanding of the site’s significance.

“The science and social studies teachers were enthusiastic about being able to walk classes to the site and back to school in 90 minutes, and a cross curricular unit was developed between the two faculties,” says Allister.

“The English Faculty then became involved with the project as they wanted to use it as a source of inspiration for writing. The Te Reo Maori teacher has also used it as a source of information and experience for te tuhi me te korero[writing and speaking activities].”

About 250 Year 9 students – split up into 10 teaching groups – visited the site earlier this year and took part in a number of activities including sketching the outline of Parihaka Pa across the Hatea River, one of the largest archaeological sites in New Zealand. The students also sketched the stone garden remnants and learned how the garden was used.

The boys also rolled up their sleeves and helped clean up the rubbish in the area that had come in from the road. Year 9 Horticulture students will also be involved in weed management of the site as part of their course working with Whangarei District Council.

“About 42 percent of the Year 9 students are Maori, and the ability to give these rangatahi pride and a place in the city is a really positive outcome of this cross curricular work,” says Allister.

“The response from all the boys has been positive, with growth in a sense of connectedness to the place they live in. The ability to weave the Tawatawhiti garden site – which is very early – with the Parihaka site has really put their history into perspective.”

The project has had other spin-offs that have impacted the students.

“The local museum, KiwiNorth, brought artefacts relating to Maori gardening and other tools to the school. We had them at the school for two days, with the Year 9 classes rotating through the display of Ko [digging sticks], Timo / Ketu [small wooden digging implements], Toki [adze], and Mahe [fishing sinkers] and Punga [anchor stone].

“This was the first time they have brought material out of the museum, and we were very privileged to have this opportunity. The source of the stone has triggered interest with the boys, and so the inquiry continues.”

Mair’s Landing / Tawatawhiti will continue to play a central part in Whangarei Boys High School’s learning – and the Year 9 cross curricular unit in particular.

“The school feels very close to the site and is looking forward to helping develop it, and hopefully getting access to a high enough standard that it can be open to the public as it is an easy walk from the popular Town Basin café and tourist precinct,” he says

The New Zealand Retail Association has nominated the Stone Store as a finalist in the Best Provincial Retailer category of the 2018 Retail Hotlist awards.

The Association praised the way the Stone Store shop “balances its role as a living museum with a successful and beautifully merchandised retail operation”.

Manager of the Stone Store, Liz Bigwood, is delighted with the nomination, which she says is a tremendous honor in itself.

“The Stone Store began as a trading post in 1836, and has been in business in one form or another pretty well since then,” she says.

Trade of iron tools and implements, cloth, and basic foodstuffs like flour, tea, and sugar were stock in trade with local Maori and it was primarily this trade and the attraction of shipping into the Eastern Bay of Islands that Hongi Hika and other Ngapuhi leaders intended when they allowed a missionary settlement here.

“In later years, people used to say of the store that you could buy anything from a needle to an anchor, and we continue that tradition by stocking a wide range of goods, including authentic items similar to those that would have been on sale in the 19thCentury.”

A recent example includes wooden butter molds, similar to those available in New Zealand over a century ago, that are still manufactured in Germany. The Stone Store also stocks a range of quality New Zealand merchandise.

“It takes time to source these products, and it’s important that they fit well with our market and the heritage values of this place,” says Liz.

“The nomination acknowledges the special nature of the Stone Store as a unique retail operation, and the team that makes it so special.”

The Honey House Café – one of Kerikeri’s favourite coffee spots – is staying open throughout winter, and a local artist is taking advantage of the extended hours to share her craft with others.

Jewellery maker Rina Ward will hold the first of a number of ‘Crafts & Coffee’ get-togethers on Thursday, 31stMay (10.30am-12.30pm), and is encouraging people to come along and enjoy a morning of “coffee, cake and charm jewellery making”.

“For the cover charge of $25 people can enjoy coffee and cake, and receive a jewellery starter kit to start them off,” says Rina, who owns Nostalgems Handmade Jewellery.

“I’ll be showing participants how to create one-of-a-kind heirloom-style jewellery, and offer a helping hand if needed. It’s not a workshop, but more an opportunity for people to get together and have fun. What better way to spend a winter morning than with some coffee, cake and a bit of crafting, together with people who have similar interests?”

One person who has taken part in one of Rina’s jewellery workshops in the past is the Manager of the Kerikeri Mission Station and Honey House Cafe, Liz Bigwood.

“As the name Nostalgem suggests, Rina’s jewellery has a wonderful heritage feel and her work is very popular in the Stone Store shop,” she says.

“Rina’s charm bracelets, for example, give people the opportunity to incorporate little keepsakes or objects that might otherwise become lost or overlooked – instead, giving them a purpose and significance that they might not otherwise have.”

A bracelet made by Liz incorporates a button from her grandfather’s army coat which he wore at Gallipoli.

“The button is only small but by incorporating it into a piece of jewellery it somehow gives it a focus and enables his story to be kept alive. Charm bracelets are a great way of highlighting these little treasures which might otherwise be in danger of being lost or forgotten.”

Holding the ‘Crafts & Coffee’ get-togethers at the Honey House shows what a versatile space the café can be according to Liz.

“It’s warm and comfortable with great food and a wonderful outlook – the perfect place for gatherings of this kind. Being open throughout winter also means this space can be available for community use like this – as well as being good news for all our local regulars.”

The Honey House will be open Wednesdays through to Sundays from about 9am and will feature a menu of tasty winter lunch meals and snacks including hearty winter soup, pies, toasted sandwiches, scones and frittata as well as favourites like the café’s toffee apple cake and its quality espresso and teas.

People can book their place on the crafty coffee meet-up by calling Rina on 021 175 9700, or emailing Rina at nostalgems@gmail.com